'Freak Genius' chef pays homage to Pulp Fiction at special pop-up

'Freak Genius' chef pays homage to Pulp Fiction at special pop-up

Savor a Royale with cheese at the Pulp Fiction pop-up.
Photo courtesy of The Alamo Drafthouse

A Royale with cheese. The Big Kahuna burger. The $5 milkshake. Jimmy’s gourmet coffee. Pulp Fiction weaves a number of food references into its tale of the Los Angeles underworld.

The only problem for fans of the cult classic is that it’s impossible to taste any of the dishes. Fortunately, Alvin Schultz wants to help. The “freak genius” former Masterchef contestant turned Berryhill Baja Grill consultant has planned out a 13-course dinner of dishes inspired by the movie.

“My dad took me to go watch Pulp Fiction when I was way younger than he probably should have. He had no idea what it was. I was probably 12 years old,” Schultz tells CultureMap. “I was like, ‘What is this movie? It’s awesome.’ It’s been my favorite movie for as long as I can remember having a favorite movie.”

Schultz says he’s been contemplating hosting the dinner for four or five years, but his EatDrinkEXPERIENCE! pop-up dinner series Underground provides him with the opportunity to serve the dishes alongside cocktails created by Arthur Ave beverage director Lainey Collum and popular bartender Leslie Ross (recently of Canard). The dinners will take place October 1 and 2 and are limited to only 12 diners per night.

“All of the courses are inspired by either a quote or a scene from the movie. The only thing diners will know is what scenes are on the menu,” Schultz says. “You have to have a Royale with cheese, but in EatDrinkEXPERIENCE! fashion our Royale with cheese is not a cheeseburger. It will be unexpected.”

Of course, not every idea made the cut. Schultz says he contemplated courses inspired by ideas such as the name Jack Rabbit Slim’s and the reference to blueberry pancakes, but he went with other options instead.

“My team had a brainstorming session. We had enough ideas to do this dinner three times over.”